Title: Waxing PhilosophicalAuthor: GusTheMooseRating: GPairing: Sam & JackWarnings: N/APrompt: Sam and Jack wonder what they would have done, if the Stargate had never been discovered. Would they have ever met?Summary: They’ve just gone through another one of those missions where they brought the Goa’uld to the door step of a rustic little village and they’re all feeling more than guilty about it.Author’s notes: My first Stargate and Sam/Jack fic I’ve ever written. I just thought I’d help out with the ficathon. For ladysilverangel. Be gentle with me.

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“Do you ever wonder what things would be like if they never dug up the Gate?” Daniel asks one Team Night on Jack’s back porch. They’ve just gone through another one of those missions where they brought the Goa’uld to the door step of a rustic little village and they’re all feeling more than guilty about it.

“You’d still be a crack pot, though that’s debatable sometimes.” Jack answers, trying to kill the conversation with sarcasm before it gets too deep. He doesn’t feel like listening to Daniel wax philosophical tonight. He wants to drink and enjoy a quiet night under the stars, but Danny-boy is on a roll and not willing to get brushed off.

“Come on, Jack, think about it. What if we had never found the Stargate?”

Teal’c steps in before Jack can say anything, “I am glad the Stargate was found here on Earth.”

“Me too.” Carter agrees, smiling at Teal’c.

“But…” Daniel starts and Teal’c raises an eyebrow, cutting Daniel off without a word.

“Daniel Jackson, if you had not found the Stargate, I would still be a slave.”

Daniel has the decency to look bashful for a second before pressing on and Jack nearly groans into his beer. “But if you wouldn’t know you had a better choice if we’d never found the Gate. You wouldn’t regret the choice since you didn’t know you had one, see what I mean Teal’c?”

“Sounds just like Carter and fishing.” Jack glances at her, “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

“And is happier that way, sir.” She shoots back and he smirks a little before a thought hits him. If they’d never found the Gate Carter wouldn’t have anything to study, nothing to explain with apples and techno-babble. He’d be on his roof right now, looking at the stars and drinking beer and perfect content in his lonely existence and retirement. He mentally rolls his eyes at himself as he realizes he’s going down Daniel’s “would you know you’re lonely” road and gets himself back on track.

Without the Gate, he would have never met the people he was sitting with right now and he wouldn’t have met Carter. He finds the thought unsettling, more than the fact that he would have never met Daniel or Teal’c. Sure, he likes the guys, they’re his friends, but Carter’s… Carter and life would really be different without her.

Before he knows it, Daniel’s little question has him thinking deeper than he wants to and it’s all about Carter. He knows he needs to get off this train of thought, before he ends up somewhere he really doesn’t want to be when the guys and the person in question are around, but he just can’t seem to stop himself. Life without Carter would suck, even if he didn’t know she existed. Now that he knows Carter, she of the blonde hair and techno-babble, he doesn’t not want to know her. For all the Bad Times, and there are a lot of them, the Gate has brought and/or inflicted on him, he’s got the guys and more important Carter out of the deal. He’s pretty sure that’s a fair trade. He’s only pretty sure because they haven’t stopped the Goa’uld and saved the Universe yet. When they manage to pull that one out of the hat, he’ll say it’s a fair trade.

“You know, there’s probably a time line out there where we didn’t discover the Gate,” Carter says, drawing Jack’s attention back to the conversation at hand.

“See, Daniel, if you want to know what it’s like, just go get the mirror.” He gestures towards him with his beer, “We’ll even post bail for you when the MPs at Area 51 catch ya.”

“Well, sir, they probably won’t have the mirror in a Universe where they don’t have the Stargate.” Carter pointed out and Jack just has to roll his eyes at that.

“What is “bail”?” Teal’c asks and the three of them, him, Carter and Daniel, exchange a look, trying to pick which one of them will explain it to the Jaffa. In the end, Daniel takes on the exercise and Jack can’t help himself. He nudges Carter’s foot with his own, smirking just a little.

“Hey, Carter, I just thought of something.”

“Yes sir?” She looks slightly puzzled, but he keeps smirking.

“Without the Gate to talk about could you still put a whole room of Marines to sleep?” Now she rolls her eyes at him, but he can see the beginnings of a Carter Smile and he thinks maybe he should just go whole hog and say he’s sure finding the Gate was a good thing after all.